November 22nd 2014 marked the first welcome session for the first batch of 117 selected EYAs from across Pakistan. Idara-e-Taleem o Aagahi (ITA) in collaboration with A World at School (AWAS) excitedly welcomed the fresh recruits in Lahore at the Children’s’ Library Complex (CLC) located in the heart of the city attracting Ambassadors from around the city and its adjoining areas. The ambassadors participated with great zeal and fervor, and introduced their endeavors propagating child’s rights and education at the district, provincial and national level. The welcome session formally commenced the Education Youth Ambassador Program, steering the preliminary steps towards the worldwide movement of young leaders to take action for education enhancement and to work towards getting every child in school and learning.

This session was inaugurated with a welcome message from Sarah Brown, Co-founder of A World at School (AWAS) and Baela Raza Jamil, Director Programs Idara-e-Taleem o Aagahi (ITA) laying the ground for an exciting journey for the newly recruited ambassadors for the year 2014-2015. The session included an ice breaking session, program presentation, address by a current Global Youth Ambassador (GYA) and Pakistan’s Representative of the Youth Alliance Group (YAG)-Anushe Bakht, followed by a question and answer session for the upcoming activities. EYAs from Bajaur Agency, Peshawar and Islamabad travelled great distances to commit their resolve of changing the education dynamics in Pakistan via the skills being offered in the ambassadorship program. The Welcome session also served as a uniting platform for the selected EYAs to interact and work together with their fellow EYAs. Moreover, it acted as a social networking platform for the selected EYAs to exchange their individual endeavors and valuable ideas with like-minded people and to expand their networks through this excellent opportunity that had been extended to them by the EYA Program.

The EYAs were also introduced to the Up4School petition campaign as their first struggle to represent Pakistan in a global movement towards committing all children to school and making leaders of their country realize the urgent need to prioritize education. All the EYAs present pledged to collect 3000 signatures from their respective homes, offices, networks and government representatives in order to bring Pakistan on the map for this signature campaign. The welcome session reiterated the program’s vision to build on and strengthen the emerging youth movement for global education and received an overwhelming response from the audience in terms of their dedication to take up a holistic approach towards rectifying all the educational shortfalls in their communities and beyond.